MfS 3 October 2025
Meeting for Sufferings is a national meeting of representatives of area meetings and some other Quaker communities and committees. It does some of the important work of the yearly meeting in between Yearly Meeting sessions. Meeting for Sufferings will be laid down in May 2026 and replaced by continuing Yearly Meeting sessions that will still include representatives but will also be open to all.
This time Meeting for Sufferings met for a full weekend residential at High Leigh Conference Centre. The extra time together allowed for more discussion and exploration. The business of the meeting included:
- Appointing Friends to roles.
- Registering and re-registering some Quaker Recognised Bodies.
- Recording the details of a Friend who appeared in court as a result of their faith and acting under concern.
- Hearing an update on governance in Scotland as three area meetings were preparing to become part of Quakers in Scotland.
- Hearing the annual report of Quaker World Relations Committee.
- Learning about plans for the Yearly Meeting session to be held 1-4 May 2026.
- Hearing about the work of the Agenda Planning Committee of Yearly Meeting (APC) as it prepares for Yearly Meeting sessions in July 2026 and beyond, including the recommendation that the name 'Meeting for Sufferings' should not be retained when this meeting is laid down.
- Receiving the BYM Trustees' annual report and financial statements, as well as an update on their work since the summer and on their progress with their review of strategic priorities.
- Exploring the theology and community aspects of online and blended meetings for worship. The meeting heard prepared ministry from a member of Woodbrooke staff and a Yearly Meeting elder, and Friends were able to consider the issues in more detail through small group discussion.
- Considering further the faithful relationship of church and state, following up on minutes received in 2023, when Quakers participated in a loyal address. The meeting heard prepared ministry relating particularly to the history of this practice.
- Participating in a workshop on the revision of the current Quakers in Britain and Woodbrooke strategy for supporting Quaker communities. The meeting explored how our Quaker communities could look in the 2030's and beyond.
You can read the full minutes of the meeting and the written report below.
Meeting for Sufferings will meet again on 6 December 2025.